"Shame on you Orban" rally in Budapest,September 2015. Demoted/ Martin Juen. All rights reserved.In Hungary, the radical right spearheaded by Fidesz is exploiting the refugee crisis for political gain. Through a politics of fear, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is fashioning himself as the defender of the nation and European Christian civilization. While Orbán’s xenophobic campaign is nurturing Islamophobia, concerned citizens are resisting the government’s illiberal turn.
The illiberal turn
Since Viktor Orbán’s return to power in 2010, his party Fidesz (Alliance of Young Democrats) has drawn Hungary in the direction of an illiberal state, imposing an intensely nationalistic style of politics. To bolster popular support, Orbán has used his party's two-thirds majority in parliament to pass policies traditionally associated with the country’s second largest party, the right-wing radical party Jobbik (Movement for a better Hungary).
